Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful...though not her best yet
Review: I am not a rabid Harry Potter fan, but I really like all the books Rowling has written so far. This installment is no exception. Rowling retains her gift of humorous, flowing prose and her ability to evoke true emotions in readers. I found myself getting so frustrated with Professor Umbridge (a new character who does everything she can to make Harry's life miserable) that I felt as if I myself was one of her students. This is why everyone loves Rowling. Many argue that this is the darkest Potter novel, but I think much of that darkness would be better called complexity. Nothing is black and white anymore: Harry has grown into a bitter and not always pleasant teenager, the "good guys" (Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic) are turning against eachother, and many more once-simplistic ideas readers had are turned on their heads. Rowling has done a convincing job of portraying the characters actually growing up. Truly this is a coming of age story more than any previous Harry novel.
Nevertheless, "Order" has its flaws. Like its predecessor, Book 4, this installment crams most of important action into the last 150 pages. Don't get me wrong; the massive buildup is very entertaining, and the book does not drag at all. But when things finally start to happen, it is a letdown. The major betrayal, death, and revalation are all predictable. Nothing that happened during or after the book's climax surprised me nearly as much as the little hints given during the slower buildup. And even with all of that, a few things still felt unfinished or unecessary.
"Order of the Phoenix" is very enjoyable, extremely well-written, and sufficiently suspenseful, but it does not live up to high-water mark set by the third book, "Prisoner of Azkaban." The first two books were a little more juvenile but satisfyingly concise, and the last two books were deeper but more anticlimactic. Only the middle work, "Azkaban," struck the perfect balance. If Rowling can swing the pendulum back to that standard for the final two books, "Harry Potter" will surely earn its place as one of the greatest fantasy series of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Harry - money rules the world...
Review: After Harry Potter vol. 1-4 I said I was a fan. The earlier books were really great. Full of creative ideas, surprises and fascinating logic.
Thus, I had been waiting for volume 5 like a child. But when I finally had "The Order of Phoenix", already during reading I experienced it to be the weakest book of the series. Even reading was no fun any more. And at some points I asked myself whether I should stop reading it at all. Well, I continued, but in none of the others books ever such a thought occurred. They earlier ones could not be big enough.
All in all, I have asked myself, what has happened, that this book is so different and that the brilliance, which made the volumes 1-4 so exceptional, was missing. It might be that J.K. Rowling had a hard time herself while writing it. Also, it might be the typical effect of series that the volumes become worse and worse. But maybe she wrote this book always thinking how it could be put best into a movie - instead of sticking to her great earlier style. When considering the scene in which one of the main characters is killed, this hypothesis doesn't seem to be too far fetched.
(By the way: If the way Harry is described as a tpyical young man in puberty (most of the time angry, etc.) - she seems to be mistaken in my ponit of view.)
In the volumes 1-4 many questions arised. Most of them still remain unanswered. This might be due to Rowling's attempt to keep people buying the volumes 6 and 7. In a money ruled world this is quite sensible, of course. Yet, if leaving questions open is not plausible anymore, the story in the whole becomes implausible. One example: Can anyone believe that a boy of the age of 15, who is bright, intelligent, and eager for knowledge has never asked, what his parents worked? Or what happened to all the other relatives? The only question in which Harry is described to be interested is provoked by Snapes memories... Well -this is not very convincing, is it?
Also, Dumbledore's behavior is not convincing at all. The greatest wizard of all wouldn't behave like this and make mistakes like this.
There are several other weak points.
Further, Rowling introduces some new characters. Especially in comparison to the already known characters the new ones are pretty pale and not very convincing.
And some ideas are very close to other phantasy stories, e.g. the lord of the rings.
All in all, 770 pages are too much for this story - as surprises, gags etc. are quite rare.
I think this volume is the weakest of all. But this has an advantage, too. As it can be expected that Rowling will wait another three years until she releases part six, waiting won't be hard anymore. It isn't exciting to know what will happen next anymore. And there are other authors and books which are more interesting - just have a look in Amazon.
(Finally I would like to excause me for my grotty English, but I do hope that it became clear what I meant to express nevertheless.)
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Many Masterpieces of J.K. Rowling
Review: Once again, J.K. Rowling has created a work of art. This book takes you into a world of magic, suspense, twists, and most of all, imagination. I believe this book is one of the best in the series, counting out part of the ending, because my favorite character dies. But overall, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of the books I would and will read over and over again. J.K. Rowling is one of my heroes for creating a series that gets kids, and adults, to read. So, in conclusion, I'd say this would be a book you'd like to read.
Rating:
Summary: The All-Seeing Crystal Ball of Truth reviews Harry Potter 5
Review: Tedious... but not all bad. First of all, the ASCBT must acknowledge the astounding talent of the author: it is no small accomplishment to have filled a 900 page book with 300 pages worth of story. Well, Rowling is obviously hell-bent on making each successive book in the series longer than the previous one. The ASCBT predicts that Book 7 will rival the M-W Collegiate Dictionary in length. That being said, the core plot is solid (which was not the case in Book 4), though the characters are as unchanging as ever (with the exception of our hormone-drunk hero). The ending is unremarkable. Don't you wish the author would have tried something other than the tired "all-knowing-character-tells-naive-protagonist-EVERYTHING-at-the-end" strategy? The "lost prophesy" is disappointing and predictable. And why the hell do the characters keep saying "blimey" all the time? Queer Brits... Ah, but the book is still worthwhile in that it carries on the Harry Potter tradition (if it ain't broken...) and well, if you've already read Books 1-4... why not...
Final Verdict of the All-Seeing Crystal Ball of Truth: 7 out of 10 [Recommended with reservation]
Rating:
Summary: Pure Magic!
Review: Harry Potter's saga continues in this wonderful new addition. Harry's firmly in his teens now, suffering from the normal plights of teen-angst. Only problem is, Harry's not a normal teen. So much responsibility lies squarely on his shoulder. Lord Voldemort grows stronger, new troubles plague Hogwarts and Harry and his pals continue to grow and mature. This newest story is pure magic!
Rating:
Summary: Darkest but also the best of the Harry Potter books yet!
Review: The book is definitely the darkest of the Harry Potter books yet. Not only did one character die, but Harry was moody and angry throughout the book. With good reasons, of course - a lot of negative events happened to him in the book. Put any teenager in his shoes, you can't blame him for being cranky. While the book was just as good a read as the first four books, the reason I liked this book the most is because instead of portraying an idealized hero, J. K. Rowling has done a superb job portraying a realistic person (Harry Potter) and his reactions and attitudes in a very trying circumstance. Harry was destined to be a hero, tragic or otherwise. He was born to it. But he was also human, who was experiencing growing pain when it comes to morals, friendships, and romances. He took out his anger on his two best friends and the professor who he detested. Some readers were critical of his behaviors. Some think he whined too much. But this is what a real teenager does, more or less, in real life. This is what we all go through in our lives when we were at Harry's age, without the magic and the prophecy of course. I especially liked the part where Harry accidentally discovered a dark side of his father when he was at Harry's age. He was shocked because it is the first time that he realized that his father was not perfect. Don't we all make that discovery at some point of our lives? And aren't we all very different person (for the better hopefully) when we grow up comparing to when we were teenagers? I admire J. K. Rowling for portraying a real person and his growing up experience. For the first time, I found myself relating to Harry. Did I also mention that it was an enjoyable read and very entertaining? Two thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: this book was really good, but harry seemed too depressed.and someone dies, S.B.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter is the best!
Review: I liked the part where Harry had the dream about Mr. Weasly being attacked because it's very unusual to have such a dream. Take my advice and read the book!!!
Guy Deitch
Rating: 
Summary: A tedious, bad tempered, indulgence.
Review: I was so eager to read this. The first four had been so enjoyable (even after the third or fourth readings), even if the fourth title did drag a lot... but this takes the biscuit for tedium. It relies on the age-old premise that any story can be dragged out for as long as possible if most of the characters say things like "I can't tell you yet" or "I should have told you earlier, but.."And as for Harry's tantrums - NO they are not showing how it feels to be a teenager! He's just a short-tempered brat in this story. He snaps at people, wallows in self-pity, and generally treats nobody with the kind of respect he wants in return. Very poor indeed. And as for the character who gets killed off - what an anti-climax. In my opinion it was written into the story simply to have something else to hype up, because the plot certainly couldn't take any promotion. The only characters who come out of this story with anything resembling a personality are the Weasley twins, and to be honest, I would rather read about what they're up to. Even Malfoy and his dim chums have a lot of potential.
Ron and Hermione do what they do in all the other books, ie Ron is the amiable loser and never really knows what's going on, Hermione is nothing more than an insufferable girly swot who knows everything. A little depth would be much appreciated in the next instalment, rather than them being used as simple plot-moving devices. And as for Hagrid's role in this one... it's ten steps down from Dumbledore's pathetic role! And you'd think that by now Voldermort would have realised that waiting until the end of the summer term for his crazy capers is possibly a bad idea. If someone was stitching you up every June/July, would you wait until the next June/July until having your next go at them - year after year? Let me think... How any book can be so long and yet avoid answering any tricky questions or fundamental loop-holes from the previous books is beyond me. I won't be reading this one again, because of the over-riding feeling of anger and frustration present on page after page after page... where oh where is the humour, the friendships, or the lighter moments? I took it on holiday with me to give it a second chance, and I didn't last long enough to reach the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. Incredibly, I couldn't face Harry's miserable fith year... and not too long ago that would have been unthinkable. I doubt that I will bother with the sixth one - because when characters have grown tired of their world, then so has this reader. Makes a very good door-stop, though. It's also ideal for standing on, if you want to appear three inches taller.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait
Review: Well I failed miserably. I promised myself that, after waiting 3 years, I would savour this new book and enjoy it over a few weeks. Finished it in three days and now have to start waiting all over again. Despite the mixed reviews I enjoyed every page. We see a different Harry. A more self centred and moody Harry. In fact a teenage Harry. Much is written about JK Rowling's imagination and storylines. But she has created such interesting characters. Hermione grows with every book. We even understand more about Neville. And Umbridge is a classic comic villain. Not the best of the collection - that was Prisoner of Azkaban - but a triumph just the same. When do we start queing for book 6?
|
